A New YEAR 2023

Good Morning ALL! Well here we are at Sunday already where has the time gone. I know, I know. We had our wonderful cousins over for a visit yesterday. In the morning, my daughter was here until sometime around 10-10:30 a.m. and from early in the morning I was preparing for the visit. I spent the morning doing some cleaning, baking and food prep. I was able to have most of the meal or at least the fussy stuff completed before they arrived. The COUSINS were arriving at 1:30 so that meant that I had to be done and have time to get ready, not ball gowns or anything like that but just get freshened up and put on some eye makeup and change my clothes. I elected to wear blue jeans and my new fav sweatshirt, my only sweatshirt. But I love it so much, I wore it. Everything went pretty much to plan. I was not as happy about the end result of the biscuits but they were okay. I made the gingerbread cake and the peanut sauce and cleaned up the kitchen, main floor bathroom, looked after the Alvin, did some laundry and a few other things on my list. Luckily I was finished before they arrived so I had a few minutes to just snuggle with the Alvin on the sofa. I feel like yesterday he was making progress. Oh and his sister more easily got his medicine into him! Just today, tomorrow and Tuesday left for the medicine so I have to just hang in there. Back to the visitors. They arrived pretty close to 1:30 and we were over the moon happy to see them. Actually it felt like a long time since I had seen them and was shocked when L had done the math and said it was 2019 before the pandemic. YIKES. I guess I really did not see many people over the last three years. Anyway, they were here and we were going to get caught up. L had a brain tumour removed last June 2022 which I knew about and she is doing amazingly well. Although she joked about her memory, it is still better than mine, lol. Her husband, W had a bad car accident in February 2022, I believe. He is doing well. Both are seeing different types of therapists to help in their recoveries. They are both retired which has helped. I am so grateful that they are on the way to be “fully” recovered. We talked about family, politics (yes, a bit), food, work and retirement and life in general. There were stories about family history. Lots of laughter. We had a great visit. Drank two pots of coffee over the course of the afternoon and early evening. I administered Alvin’s medicine while they were here and it went a sight better than this morning and gave him his supper at the appropriate time. Perhaps I am overthinking and just need to give it to him. Anyway, I popped the chicken into the oven and continued to visit. In between set the table for supper. When the chicken was almost finished baking, I put on the peas to cook and the rice. Heated the peanut sauce in the microwave. The menu: baked chicken breasts with greek spice seasoning, rice, homemade peanut sauce, green peas, biscuits and cucumbers. They both loved supper even the biscuits. Dessert was also a hit and that was the gingerbread cake with real whipped cream. I was so happy and relieved. They left just after 7:30 p.m. – what a great visit. I am so happy that we had this wonderful visit.

After they left, I finished cleaning up and doing the dishes. Why would one stop to do dishes when you can visit. That was my thought process anyway! We had a quiet night and I watched a movie. Which movie was it, I just forgot. Gave Mr. Alvin his medicine around 10:00 p.m. and got most of it into him in a decent amount of time. We came down stairs about 3 or was it 4? I honestly do not remember, the time is mushing together. Outside for a pee (him not me, lol). Then back inside to the sofa. I should have set the alarm because we overslept the scheduled time for medicine. So then he did not eat until almost 8:00 a.m. Just, maybe five minutes after the medicine, he started to fuss and threw up. Not vomit but a bit of foam like liquid. Not much. Just a bit. So I made the decision to just go for it and give him his breakfast. I cut back on the amount of rice and gave him the normal amount of chicken. So far so good. He is resting in the hallway while I write this post. Sorry for the babbling but I am quite tired. One of our friends is coming for coffee at 10:00 a.m. so that will be nice. I think this afternoon, it will be just nap time. The sky is overcast. I was thinking as it is so nice out – that we should go for a walk but then I was thinking perhaps not. He is a bit wobbly these days so I do not want him to slip but I will see later. Today is the last day of chicken and rice, the bland diet. His medicine is finished at end of Tuesday. Monday and Tuesday, I slowly reintroduce his regular food back and then Wednesday back to his regular food diet. I hope it all goes well. I have been thinking that perhaps I will just go to the office on Thursday and Friday. Wednesday is a tricky day and without knowing how he is going to react, I cannot take the chance of something happening while I am away. But I am going to try and go to the office on Thursday and Friday. Life in the fast lane.

I am grateful that so far Alvin has kept his food down.

I am grateful for my daughter, son-in-law and grand-pups and family.

I am grateful for my cousins coming to visit. L asked if she could have a slip of one of my plants and as luck would have it, I was starting a few so I sent her home with some.

I am grateful for good food, my good health and fingers crossed Alvin will keep improving.

I am grateful for all my friends.

Gratitude is what keeps me going.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.

Always, Carol & Alvin

A New Year 2023

Good Morning ALL! Hello. I am sorry but I haven’t posted for a couple of days due to Mr. Alvin being “sick.” I guess it was just after a few hours after we went to bed on Monday night (to work on Tuesday) when he woke up and needed to go outside and that is where it started. He had to pee, so I let him outside. Most of the time I go outside with him and sometimes I just let him out and watch him from the back door. The next time he went out a few hours later, I went with him and and realized that he had diarrhea which was filled with blood. More blood than poop. I almost started to cry. That is never a good sign for anyone. Last time he had major surgery after I spotted a drop of blood in his pee and that was February of 2021. My heart fell to my knees. We were up and down, (no sleep) and then I sent a text at a reasonable hour to my Manager explaining and advising that I would not be working Tuesday. As soon as the Vet Clinic was open I called to set up an appointment. The irony was that I had an appointment for today, this afternoon to have his nails etc. done (regular). The soonest we could get in was noon which was good as I needed to find a ride to the vet. I was very lucky that one of my friends and nearby neighbours was off yesterday and was very happy to give us a ride. Then the waiting. I think the waiting is the hardest. Every time he went outside there was blood, some 24 hours later there is still blood but it is becoming a bit less. We were picked up just before noon and off we went. I totally forgot to take a mask with me and had to ask for one inside the clinic. The vet requires all humans to wear one while in the exam rooms. I explained everything and showed the photos that I had taken to the Clerk at reception desk before we went in to wait in one of the two exam rooms. Not long later the Vet Assistant came to retrieve Mr. Alvin. Then the waiting. Actually, it was not too long. So long story short as honestly it is a blur. The blood was red and not tarry which is good and there are a long list of reasons why, he was eating and drinking water and no blood in his urine, also good. He had lost a bit of weight which was good as he had put on a couple of pounds. The first thing she said we needed to do was to put him on medications to stop the diarrhea, he would need Probiotics and Fibre (age). I asked about all the blood in his stool and she said that she had seen more. For now, not to worry, we need to get his stool back to normal. He also has to go on a bland diet (chicken & rice) for a few days. So that is that. He does not seem to be in any pain. Although I would say not quite his old self. My friend picked us up after I got the medications, instructions and paid the bill. Then we were off to the grocery store as I needed rice, chicken and Metamucil (fibre). So here we are. I am not working today as I had little or no sleep again last night. I hope that over the next day or so, he is back to normal. If not, there will be more tests. Fingers crossed and saying lots of prayers.

I need coffee. On the upside my Ricki’s order arrived yesterday and the 5TB external hard drive for my photos. YAY.

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee. I really need coffee this morning – a bit late. With not having to work, I was able, we were able to get a bit of sleep.

Always, Carol & Alvin

Last Half 2022 – September

Good Morning ALL! Welcome to September 1st, 2022. There is a breeze this morning and the last time that I check the weather channel it was to be a bit cooler today which would be very welcome. Something happened with the setup on my blog this morning and I am not sure what this is going to look like once it is published. Oh, how I love technology. I can see birds flying across the sky which is the palest of blues with a very pale pink orange colour on the horizon as the sun begins to rise for the day.

We had a great walk yesterday morning. No sight of Jaime and Sadie but I know it was her first day at school and I think that Sadie was going to the doggie daycare.

So yesterday late morning Mr. Alvin threw up and was jittery and not looking himself, I kept a close eye on him and then at 5 minutes to noon he threw up once again. This prompted a call to the vet who happened not to be in at the time. Her assistant said that she would try and contact her to see if she could come in right away but she was not able to reach her. Michelle then made us an appointment for 1:30 p.m. They called later to confirm the appointment. Then it was how to get there as we could not walk when it was 30+ degrees celsius and he was sick. I cannot carry him that far although if I had to I would have done it. In the end my neighbour (thankfully) returned home and I was able to borrow her car. The vet did some checking and had some immediate concerns about his belly as it might mean his liver is enlarged and that is not a good situation. So next step is to have an ultrasound done to see what is going on. Vet is going to set that up. In the meantime, a shot of the drug that stops him from throwing up and pills to take for the next four days and probiotics to take for another ten days as well. He is always back on the bland diet of boiled chicken and white rice. I did not have any chicken but thankfully my neighbour who lends me her car was going to the store last night and picked me up some chicken breasts. So time will tell. I hope that he is not in any real pain and that I can keep him comfortable during all of this. We also got word yesterday that we are having a meeting this morning about returning to work. This adds a whole other layer to everything that is going on. I cannot leave him home alone for the time that I am at work and the commute is dreadful. So some tough decisions coming up. I guess life is never easy.

Well I am going to sign off now. It has been a long last not quite 24 hours and I need to go for a walk with Mr. Alvin. Perhaps the fresh air will clear my head and give me some solutions to the upcoming problems or at least make them less stressful. In the meantime, all we can do is stay positive. I am trying very hard to do that. Very hard.

Have a wonderful day.

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.

Always, Carol & Alvin

Last Half 2022

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? I am well, my little furry sidekick is also on the road to wellness. With any luck Monday’s trip will be the last unplanned vet visit for us for this year. Fingers crossed. Note to all you dog owners out there, it is important to pay attention to your dog when you are out walking. I do not carry my phone and I am always looking to the ground and watching where he is sniffing and this still happened. They are also very good at hiding things, they are dogs after all. I had no idea on Sunday morning when he turned around and headed for home that he was hiding a bone in his mouth, no idea. I was watching him sniffing and did not see him take the bone from its’ spot in the grass and tuck it into his mouth. That is why he headed so quickly for home. He wanted to enjoy his spoils. I noticed that he dropped something on the floor in the house and went over to investigate when I found the bone. I quickly picked it up and threw it in the garbage and then washed my hands never thinking that for the time that dirty old bone was in his mouth, it was spreading bacteria through his body. Because that is what dirty old things do if you ingest them. Even though he did not eat it, the bone did the damage. So here we are. Monday he threw up breakfast, a small snack and then without thinking I gave him more food which left his stomach, as well. The girls at the vet said that I was too hard on myself but I know better. Not my first rodeo. Just not thinking. Anyway, when he did not keep water down, I called the vet, wishing I had called in the morning. It was so hot outside and too hot for the boy to walk on the hot sidewalk so I called friends. Our friend Signe drove us to the vet and our friend Gillian picked us up when we were done.

Alvin had a Cerenia injection to stop him from vomiting. He also had subcutaneous fluids. Sent home with probiotics, antibiotics and more of the Cerenia in tablet form.

He is not quit himself but he is definitely on the road to be well again. Poor little guy. I noticed that he is more quiet than usual. Also yesterday he did not drink much so I played a trick on him and gave him water with his food. He ate it. Chicken, rice with water. The bland diet. Just enough to keep him hydrated.

Our weather continues to be warm but certainly not the temperatures in other parts of Canada and the world. To all those folks experiencing these incredibly hot temperatures, I wish it would cool down and rain. I hope that we are starting to do things that can help to heal our environment before these super high temperatures, record breaking temperatures are the norm. We all have to do our part.

Well time to head on downstairs. I really need coffee this morning. Alvin is patiently waiting outside the office door. There is a lovely breeze wafting in through the office window.

Have an awesome July 20th, 2022.

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and COFFEE.

Always, Carol & Alvin

PS: well today is the 20th day/sleep till I turn 65 and it is the 20th day of July, how cool is that!

I moved my flowers and plants into the shelter of the house and garage yesterday late afternoon and the storm went around us. Whew!

It is a NEW YEAR.

Well here we are again at a Friday morning.

May 15, 2020.

We started out here in Edmonton with a beautiful sunrise and what I thought was going to be a sunshiny day but then turned to clouds.

I cannot remember what the forecast was for today other than the temperature was/is to be plus 17 degrees celsius.

Which is not bad temperature wise.

 

My poor boy is under “the weather.”

Starting on Tuesday he had some wicked gas attacks.

I feared something was on the way.

On Wednesday on our way home from our afternoon/after work walk, he fell to a bout of diarrhea.

He did eat all of his supper.

He did not appear to be too out of sorts (for him).

Yesterday morning he only ate half of his breakfast and a bit of banana.

He had two bouts of diarrhea.

One in the morning before I started work and the other mid afternoon while my son-in-law dropped by with some chicken breasts and white rice for the boy.

Yesterday morning I reached out to my daughter about possibly picking up those items for Alvin.

My son-in-law was able to pick up and bring over.

We had a little visit.

So nice to see him, it has been awhile.

I think my daughter’s birthday in March.

So last night for supper Alvin had chicken breasts and white rice for supper.

He is back on the bland diet for a few days while whatever it is runs the course.

Jenn from the Vet’s office called to remind me of his appointment today at 2 p.m.

I immediately informed her of Alvin’s condition and she agreed to put him on the chicken and rice.

They will also put him on probiotics which should help.

My poor baby.

He will be on a strict chicken and rice.

I deliberately did not have banana this morning with breakfast as it is his favourite and I did not wish to taunt him.

That would not have been fair.

I have decided it may be wise especially with his age that I put him on a strict diet.

Only his regular food, his treats that I pick up from the vet’s office.

No longer he can have special treats from family and friends.

Even the Vet’s office suggested it may be allergies.

Dogs in age can develop allergies so not uncommon.

Better to be safe than having him go through this ….

He is a trooper but I can only imagine how he must feel although he does loves chicken and rice.

So that part is good for him and makes him happy.

I am with fingers crossed that his poop is more firm this morning and hopefully he will go.

He has not as yet which is odd for him.

Perhaps things are just settling down.

Well time to go and get that coffee and sign on for work.

I have a meeting this morning and one after lunch just before I am leaving early for Alvin’s appointment.

 

So happy Friday one and all.

I hope that you have a great day and long weekend.

I suppose not everyone everywhere has a long weekend for Victoria Day.

I get that …..

But have a great weekend …..

 

Take care, stay healthy.

Be kind.

Show kindness and respect to all creatures big and small.

 

I/We Remain,

As Always, Carol  & Alvin

 

P.S. sorry for my post to be all about “poo” …… such as my life at this moment.

Living … One day at a time.

Hello,

Wow, can you believe it is Thursday, September 5th, 2019?

Almost one week into September.

Close to the official day of FALL or Autumn.

I remain home with the boy.

After 26 hours without diarrhea (which was what the Vet had wanted) and while I was on the phone with the Vet’s Assistant; the only time that I had left him alone outside he had D.

I was glad that I had decided to check once I was off the phone.

We had a pretty quiet evening.

I knew that he really wanted to go for a walk but cleaning up D is not fun and not easy to do.

So we had a quiet evening.

He had his bland diet and was not happy when I had a vegetable stir fry with his fav vegetables but they have to be eaten.

I feel so badly for him and he is being so strong and shows little frustration with it all.

After that phone call (at 5:00 p.m.) and my find in the yard; I called the clinic back once again and asked to have his Dr. call me back.

When she was finished with her patients she called back.

I explained what happened and was told …. it has only been a short time on the medication …. we have to give it time to work.

Dr. K said that if there was no change meaning he had not had a regular bowel movement – it would be back to have blood work done to get to the bottom of things.

Bedtime went per norm.

Keeping the time close to our regular time.

He woke up at 2:08 a.m. ….. not sure why.

Seemed like he wanted to go downstairs and possibly outside, so down we went.

I grabbed my sweater and flip flops and out we went.

He just stood and breathed in the night air.

No signs of distress, I attempted to coax him to come down to the grass but to no avail.

So back into the house.

This time I decided to just crash on the sofa.

No point going back upstairs.

I do not remember if it was 5 something or closer to 6 when we woke up and went back outside.

Only peed.

Back into the house and then had his first meal of the day and his meds.

I am thankful that I purchased two packages of chicken on Sunday and froze one (as yesterday I had to cook the second one).

After that …. outside….

Nothing ….

Back to the sofa for bit more sleep.

Up around 7:45 or so and decided to get dressed and go for a walk.

He had been sitting in his chair and was watching the children out on their way to school.

Other pups out for walks.

So I decided that it would be worth the fresh air for both of us although we have been spending quite a lot of time outside.

So dressed and ready and out the door.

The coolness of the morning air felt so refreshing on our faces as we strolled down the sidewalk toward the park.

We were not at the park for more than a couple of minutes and he took the pooping stance.

I held my breath.

Then without further …. out came D, this time no gas, no flying through the air.

I guess that is an improvement.

I cleaned it up as good as I could …. thankfully I had taken paper towel and several extra bags.

Just after I had wiped his bum with paper towel … a young boy on a bike came over to where we were and said “I like your dog, is it a he or a she.”

I replied “he and his name is Alvin.”

We had a nice conversation ….. I told him that Alvin was not feeling well but not catchy for him.

He said that he had a cat and wanted to pet Alvin.

Which he gently did.

We chatted about school …. he was going into grade 5.

When I asked which school he was attending …. he said the name that I had not heard of and pointed to the south.

Then he said …. no it is ….. and mentioned that he has moved a few times and forgot.

Poor little guy.

It was nice.

We continued for a couple of minutes together him on his bike and us walking.

He said “thank you I enjoyed our chat.”

Wow, from a grade five boy …. must be an old soul.

I was glad to have some conversation not about diarrhea.

 

Well I guess we are back to it.

I need coffee ….. and in less than one hour it will be time for Alvin’s second small meal of the day.

I sure hope that by the end of this day things are different and that the poop is good.

Never so much talk of poop in my life ….

 

I am grateful for the sunshine as it has made our time at home in and out of the house much easier.

Feeling a bit frustrated but trying to be patient and keep positive thoughts rattling round my brain.

We never know what is coming round the corner, do we?

I guess all we can do is our best …. be kind and respectful …..

Patience ….. having patience is important.

 

As I laid on the sofa earlier, the blinds were open enough to see our front tree.

I noted how many of the leaves had already started to turn yellow.

In that moment I was watching the leaves and branches sway gently in the breeze.

It seemed as though time had stood still for just that one moment in time.

In that moment life was perfection.

Alvin was laying in his chair … in his happy place.

I was taking in the view.

Life was perfect.

 

Wishing you all a happy Thursday.

Time for coffee, I think.

 

Being kind and respectful to yourself is just as important as it is to be toward others.

 

 

Always, Carol & Alvin

 

 

 

Living … One day at a time.

Hello,

Well this is not how I had planned or expected these past few days to be.

In a blink of an eye life can change and does quite often.

Still don’t know the actual cause of Alvin’s “grief” but at least we have medication.

So shall I start at the beginning as I have not posted much over the past few days.

Last Friday was a regular day …. worked ….. my daughter gave me a ride home …. I had stopped at renewed my driver license.

I do think that I may have posted that information …. after my daughter left we went right into our regular after work.

I took him for a walk followed by supper.

After supper we had been invited out to a friends house.

Now with the weather taking a turn I was unable to take Alvin with me.

So he stayed home.

I was gone from 7:00 until 10:25 p.m.

As usual I left the television on and lights.

He was happy to see me.

We went outside and then upstairs to bed.

From that point until this moment things changed.

He was not himself.

So did he eat something?

Or perhaps it was stress over the last few weeks with the significant change to our routine that being my vacation.

Being away from home and me.

He has become even more stuck to routine as he ages.

 

At some point I believe around 1:00 a.m. Saturday morning …. he needed to go outside.

Then it was all downhill for the boy.

He was shaking …. had bad bad GAS …. so bad it startled me and scared him.

The gas blow-out was so bad it appeared to have ruptured a blood vessel.

So blood then was added to it all.

We have been one poopy mess for days.

The gas factor continued until yesterday.

We were up and down every couple of hours from Friday night until we slept for six hours on Sunday night.

Monday and last nights we slept until the alarm went off.

 

He has definitely got upset intestines, “tummy” and his bum is raw.

If you remember Mr. Alvin is not so fond of car rides, not at all.

Keeping watch to ensure that he was not dehydrated (still drank lots of water during this whole episode), I decided to wait until his Vet was open on Tuesday.

I called them twice or three times on Tuesday morning only to get their automated message.

This concerned me as I knew they were to be opened.

So I just decided to walk over there with Alvin.

When we arrived we found a fish tank with four turtles, large ones sitting in front of the door.

I tried the door and it was locked.

The OPEN signed was not turned on.

I peeked through the window and no lights or movement.

So decided to take a photo of the turtles and head home quickly.

We got home and I called our City line for assistance.

I was able to get someone from Animal Control – Peace Officer to go and pick up the turtles.

So now what.

I was texting with my daughter and son-in-law as Alvin still had diarrhea and needed to be checked.

Clearly nothing was going to stop and heal without medical intervention.

My daughter remembered the Spay/Neuter Clinic not far away from us and they said in their ad – they took new clients.

I was stressed at this point …. between me Alvin and the turtles.

Before leaving home I had perked a pot of coffee but only drank a sip before unplugging it.

So I decided to have a mug of coffee and just sit for a few minutes.

Alvin was okay for the moment and the turtles were going to be rescued.

Just breathe …..

What a morning.

After the coffee, I was going to call the new VET but then had this strange feeling that I should try our Vet again.

The receptionist answered, I was dumbfounded.

She explained that she had mixed up the dates therefore came in later than she was scheduled.

Our Vet arrives at 10:00 and I was there just after 9:00 a.m.

What a relief.

I explained what had happened with our first visit and the turtles and what was going on with Mr. Alvin.

She said the Animal Control were there and that the Clinic had an arrangement with several different animal rescue groups.

One of them had dropped off the turtles thinking someone would be there at 8:00 a.m.

I was able to make an appointment for Mr. Alvin to see his own Doctor at 2:30 p.m.

What a relief.

So we just relaxed and waited until it was time to go.

Of course, during that time Alvin had one of his small meals.

We left the house about 2:10 p.m. as I thought we may have some stops along the way which we did.

Poor boy.

Once arriving at the Clinic, he was weighed and we went into one of the exam rooms.

The Vet Assistant came in and took his heart rate and then his temperature.

I knew when I asked about where the thermometer had to be inserted and she said his “bum” that things were not going to be pretty.

He cried so loud and sharp that we both jumped.

My poor, poor little guy.

That would have hurt so bad as his bum was raw.

After that we waited a few minutes for his Doctor.

I went through our last few days and what was going on in our house.

I explained about our trip and the changes to his routine.

She asked me some questions.

At the end of the exam she said he will need some Probiotics to heal his intestines, his insides and Metronidazole to stop the diarrhea and some salve for his raw bum.

Upon receiving instructions we were out front to pay.

I also had her clean his ears as I had not been able to these past few days.

After payment and final run through instructions we were on our way.

Upon returning home I gave him his medication.

Alvin’s Doctor had put some salve on his bum at the clinic.

I am happy to say that since his first medication there has been no diarrhea which is great.

Doctor, our Vet said she would like him to go one whole day with no bowel movement and only peeing.

Which so far so good.

Medication.

Well the Prebiotic is a chewable tablet and there has been no issue with that but the other pill the one that will stop the diarrhea well that has been another story.

I told his Doctor “that he is such a foodie there will be no problem with him taking the pills.”

He proved me wrong.

So I am trying to get creative.

He has now had three of each pill and I hope so hard that later today he has a regular poop.

My life has been way too much about “poop” as of late and I, we are ready for back to normal.

The weather has been great.

I am so grateful for the change in weather.

Sunshine has been such a relief.

I only want to go on our regular walks and then get back to work.

 

I hope that you all are enjoying life.

My life has been stressful the past few days but am hopeful Mr. Alvin is on the mend.

So hard to see my little guy suffering.

Despite his pain he has remained a happy guy.

 

A kind respectful gesture can be life changing.

 

Always, Carol & Alvin

 

P.S.

After I wrote this post earlier today I realized that I had missed out some very important information.

Throughout this stressful time both my daughter and son-in-law played an important role.

They offered up support and advice.

One of the bits of advice was from my son-in-law and that was back on Sunday in the thick of things when I was at my wits end.

He suggested putting Alvin immediately on a “bland diet” which would be cooked chicken breast (with no salt or spices) and white rice (no salt or butter added).

As I did not have any chicken breasts or rice in the house that afternoon; I quickly ran over to the nearby grocery store to pick up these items.

I added to this list some paper towel as it was needed during this time.

Upon returning home I quickly boiled up the chicken breasts and made some white rice, just plain old MINUTE RICE.

After I had everything cooked up I made a batch up for Mr. Alvin consisting of a ratio of 1/3 cup chicken to 2/3 cup of white rice.

I fed him half of the mixture and then two hours later fed him the other half.

I would say this was the beginning of a turning point for Alvin as it was that night that we had a full six hours of sleep.

We both desperately needed this sleep for health and sanity.

Alvin’s Doctor was pleased to hear that we had done this and I would never have thought of this; if had not been for my son-in-law.

I am eternally grateful to him for this bit of advice.

So I forgot to mention this earlier but he is to remain on this diet for up to five days.

Once he begins to have regular bowel movements I can slowly start to introduce his regular food back into his diet.

 

It is about 12:35 p.m. and I am pleased to report that Mr. Alvin has not had any “diarrhea” (oh, how I despise that word) since about 3:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon.

With luck, medication and prayers, he will be regular soon.

I am excited to get back to normal for both of us.

 

Life is full of ups and downs.

It is all how you view the whole picture that determines how your life will be.

I chose to look at it through light rose coloured glasses, seeing the glass half full and the positive in ALL situations and in ALL people.

Learning at each step of the way.

Until tomorrow……..